Kate Bryan – CatholicVote.orghttps://www.catholicvote.org
The mission of CatholicVote.org is to educate and inspire Americans of all faiths to prioritize the issues of life, faith, and family.Tue, 20 Mar 2018 02:09:37 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.2The Catholic Vote Radio Hour is a program where the dogma lives loudly.CatholicVote.orgcleanepisodicCatholicVote.orgmercer@catholicvote.orgmercer@catholicvote.org (CatholicVote.org)No mules were harmed in the making of this episodeKate Bryan – CatholicVote.orghttp://catholicvote.org/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/cv-podcast-469.pnghttps://www.catholicvote.org
mercer@catholicvote.orgThe Catholic Vote Radio Hour is a program where the dogma lives loudly. 8 ways to participate in the March for Life every dayhttps://www.catholicvote.org/8-ways-to-participate-in-the-march-for-life-every-day/
https://www.catholicvote.org/8-ways-to-participate-in-the-march-for-life-every-day/#commentsTue, 26 Jan 2016 20:37:10 +0000http://catholicvote.org/?p=2757The March for Life comes but once a year. People travel across the country to participate in the most important human rights rally of our time. We just commemorated the 43rd anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade SCOTUS decision this past Friday, and we were reminded that enough is enough!

Over 58 million children have been killed by abortion since its legalization in 1973, and millions more men and women have been victimized by the industry along with the unborn. Enough is enough — and it’s time that we end this abortion holocaust once and for all.

But, since the March for Life is only once a year, what can we do on a daily basis to help promote life and advocate for the pro-life cause?

Here are EIGHT ways that you can be a part of the March for Life and the pro-life movement every day:

Prayer is the most powerful weapon in fighting abortion. Pray for all women, men, unborn children, born children, and families. Pray for the conversion of abortionists, Planned Parenthood workers, and all who work in the abortion industry. Also, pray for the people who work in the pro-life movement. All of these people need our daily prayers.

Educate yourself. Know the issues and know how to talk about abortion. You can’t fight for the pro-life cause without knowing how to talk about it. Keep up with current events and read up on the life issues. Stephanie Gray’s new book, “Love Unleashes Life” is a great resource on this issue.

Talk to your friends and family about abortion. First you need to educate yourself, but you can also learn by talking to others. Do it with love and compassion, and be unafraid to share your beliefs and listen to others. Abortion is simply a controversial issue to some. But to us, it is a matter of life and death that must be resolved.

Social media. Social media is a blessing and a curse, but in my mind, it is always far more of a blessing. Follow pro-life groups on Facebook and Twitter, and share their posts. Social media is a great way to spread the pro-life message and reach out to people that may not hear the message of life otherwise. Use it.

Every pro-life group needs financial support, so if there are groups that you follow or appreciate, show them. Donate as much or as little as you can afford. Every single dollar helps and can make a difference.

Time is often more valuable than money. If you have have time to spare, volunteer at your local Right to Life or pregnancy help center, volunteer with a national group that you support, and/or use your gifts and talents to serve the pro-life movement.

Be a witness. We should strive to be the best representation of our beliefs and the pro-life cause every day. If we are outspoken on the issues, people will look to us as representatives of those deeply-held beliefs. Practice what you preach and strive to respect every person and all human life in everything you do, everyday.

Sometimes all that’s left to do is love. Love yourself and love others. Mother Teresa famously said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Live out all things with love at the center.

These are just some things that I came up with. What other ways have you participated in the pro-life movement in your daily lives?

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/8-ways-to-participate-in-the-march-for-life-every-day/feed/2Feminists Stay Silent Amidst Genocidal War on Womenhttps://www.catholicvote.org/feminists-stay-silent-amidst-genocidal-war-on-women/
https://www.catholicvote.org/feminists-stay-silent-amidst-genocidal-war-on-women/#commentsWed, 20 Aug 2014 14:40:53 +0000http://www.catholicvote.org/?p=61408On April 15th, 276 women were kidnapped by the brutal terrorist group Boko Haram, which launched the #BringBackOurGirls campaign on social media. “Bring Back Our Girls” sparked massive public outrage, yet N.O.W., Planned Parenthood and other self-proclaimed feminists were silent for days. Planned Parenthood only got involved (days later), when presumably their supporters put pressure on them to do so.

Throughout recent weeks, we have seen the attacks against religious minorities in Iraq unfold. A genocide is being carried out by The Islamic State, and women, children and religious minorities are being starved, maimed, raped and murdered. While the response across the world has been tremendous, so-called feminists and their organizations have remained silent.

How is it possible that the largest “feminist” organizations have failed to even mention the situation in Iraq?

N.O.W., Planned Parenthood and others have yet to even mention the attacks against women, children and others in Iraq, yet they continue to lament about birth control, abortion and LGBT issues.

The women across the nation who bemoaned the Supreme Court decision on the Hobby Lobby case, failed to comment on #BringBackOurGirls and haven’t said a single word about the attacks against women in Iraq. Look at the Facebook pages of the “feminists” who cried over Sandra Fluke’s testimony or who were in hysterics over the Hobby Lobby ruling — how many of them have commented on the Iraq situation? None that I’ve seen.

The situation in Iraq is so horrific and prominent in the news, that it is literally impossible for anyone not to know about it. These “feminists” know about it, so why have they been silent?

The feminist movement has completely failed women if when women need them most, they are nowhere to be found. The Islamic State’s genocide is the real “War on Women”, yet so-called “feminists” and so-called “feminist organizations” have remained silent.

If these women and their organizations truly cared about women and their well-being, they would have spoken out on this issue from the beginning. According to their actions, these organizations don’t truly care about women, they only care about boosting their profits.

True feminists, the time for you to speak up is now. We must lead the charge on this and speak out against the horrific violence that is being inflicted upon our sisters and others in Iraq, Nigeria, America and throughout the world. Be a voice for those who do not have one or are terrified for their lives to use it. We are blessed to live in a nation where we have a voice and we can speak up for others around the world.

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/feminists-stay-silent-amidst-genocidal-war-on-women/feed/14Hey Catholics, Look Up!https://www.catholicvote.org/hey-catholics-look-up/
https://www.catholicvote.org/hey-catholics-look-up/#respondTue, 01 Jul 2014 11:50:13 +0000http://www.catholicvote.org/?p=60817The struggle is real for Catholics and their relationship with new media. In many ways, social media has become a powerful tool for outreach and engagement, especially regarding the social issues and the faith. But in other ways, we might be allowing social media to consume too much of our time and our lives. We are often too consumed with ‘likes’ on Facebook and what’s on our smartphone that we miss important, everyday opportunities to impact the lives of the people around us.

I love social media. I love it so much that many of my friends call me “the social media queen”, because I’ve used social media for major campaigns and outreach. I believe in the power of social media and I’ve seen its positive impact firsthand. But, a recent video shook my way of thinking.

This is the video:

“Look up” went viral within a matter of days because it really connected with people. This YouTube video examines the use of social media in our every day lives and shows how we can miss life-changing opportunities in our everyday life because we’re so consumed with our online presence.

We live in a world where we are more connected than ever, yet we’re becoming more disconnected than ever from everyday life.

Throughout our day, we are given many opportunities to interact with others, to talk to them, help them, and most important, be Christ to them. We are called to be a witness of the faith and our beliefs every moment of every day. Sure, we are all human, and we all have our failings – but we should strive to be the best example of the Church and our beliefs as we can be. Do we want to be the type of Catholic that only cares about ourselves and how many ‘likes’ we got on Facebook, or do we want to be the type of Catholic that interacts with people during our daily commute and is fully present for what is going on around us throughout our day? More importantly, what would Jesus do?

The message of this year’s World Communications Day was “Communication at the Service of an Authentic Culture of Encounter.” It’s that simple – online communications and new media should be at the service of an authentic culture of encounter, not the other way around. We should be focused on encountering people in our everyday lives and then using social media as an accompaniment to that.

In his comments for World Communications Day, Pope Francis said, “communication is ultimately a human rather than a technological achievement.” We must not be consumed by technology and our online achievements, rather we should focus on our offline human interactions.

Pope Francis continued, “The desire for digital connectivity can have the effect of isolating us from our neighbors, from those closest to us.” While social media can help us stay in touch with friends and family, it is isolating us from the people that are closest to us – our neighbors.

Why is it that we are more connected than ever, but we feel more alone than ever? Maybe we wouldn’t be so lonely if we took a step away from our devices and started living our lives and building relationships with people in our everyday lives.

As much as online communications can help us connect with people, it also isolates us and fails to help us build true human relationships. Instead of trying to fix the problem by consuming less online communications, we seek to consume more. Now there’s not only Facebook and Twitter, there’s Instagram, Pinterest, and countless other sites. Not to mention the rise in online dating.

We’re so desperate to connect with others that instead of working to build interpersonal relationships, we try to fill the void with even more online activity. We’re more connected than ever through social media, yet we’ve never felt more alone. It’s a great dichotomy.

But, we have the power to change things and set an example for the rest of the world. Imagine the impact it would have on the world if Catholics turned off their phones and disconnected from social media while in public and focused on being present and interacting with others.

Catholics, “look up” from your phone and “check-in” to the beautiful opportunities that this life provides. You never know who you will meet or what you will learn from the others in your everyday life.

Make an effort to “look up” from your phone while you are on your way to work or standing in line at the coffeeshop. Be present in those moments and engage others, or just take some time to think (and even pray). The world is such a busy and loud place that it’s often difficult to find time to be still and think.

Catholics, we have an opportunity, and more importantly a responsibility, to be an example of what being Christian looks like. Social media can be a powerful tool, but we cannot allow it to consume our lives.

“Look up” from your phone and be present to those around you. You only live once, and you don’t want to miss out.

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/hey-catholics-look-up/feed/0Photoshopping and the War on Womenhttps://www.catholicvote.org/photoshopping-and-the-war-on-women/
https://www.catholicvote.org/photoshopping-and-the-war-on-women/#commentsMon, 09 Jun 2014 15:37:47 +0000http://www.catholicvote.org/?p=60341I remember seeing the unsettling — before and after – photos of Jennifer Lawrence on the cover of Flare magazine, where Jennifer was photoshopped to look thinner and presumably “sexier”. This photoshopping job became public and caused a firestorm of outrage. People were outraged because it was completely unnecessary to photoshop the originally beautiful and natural photo of Jennifer. But, this is the culture that we live in – a culture where unnatural and photoshopped women has become the norm.

What’s worse is that we’re not helping the problem. We’re promoting this by buying the magazines, for making snarky comments to our friends and family about the way they look in the photos we took of them over the weekend or on our family vacation, and the way that we’re treating the kids that are the up-and-coming generation.

This school’s photoshopping was unnecessary and unfairly discriminated against various students. The school randomly chose some of the girls wearing tank-tops or v-necks in their photos, and virtually added sleeves and higher necklines. If there is a dress code for yearbook photos, that’s great, but be consistent. This school (and all schools, really) might want to consider school uniforms or a dress code, as many Catholic schools have. A uniform or dress code keeps consistency with the students and ends a lot of the drama between students, or at least some of it.

The biggest issue with this school’s situation is that they need to work to change the culture in their school and form young minds, and photoshopping girls’ photos is no way to go about that.

The school needs to enforce a dress code and/or talk to the girls about modesty, beauty, and respecting their bodies. Our bodies are beautiful, thus we should present them in the most beautiful way.

Teenage girls are self-conscious enough as it is. Our culture tells them that they need to look a certain way and they need to conform to society’s standard of beauty. Their peers compete with one another and challenge each other to be “more beautiful”, “skinnier”, and to do anything to get the attention of the “popular crowd”. They are living in a Mean Girls world every day. If you thought it was bad when you were in school, I assure you it’s now a million times worse.

But, there’s always hope, and this begins with empowering young people and challenging them to rise above the corrupt ways of the world.

Mark Twain once said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have left little or no influence on society.” We need to teach girls about modesty and teach them to be self-aware and confident. We need to empower them and teach them to believe in the power that one person has to change the world – and that they can be that change. But, in order to change the world and influence society, you need to treat yourself (and your body) with respect. People will not respect you, if you do not respect yourself.

The stakes are higher than ever for parents, teachers, and other mentors in these kids’ lives. Parents need to empower their kids, not tear them down. They need to engage their children and work to instill virtue from a young age, and then at some stage, parents need to be unafraid to send them “out into the deep” (Luke 5:4). Raise your kids to be virtuous, self-aware, good people – we need as many of them as we can get.

I’m reminded of one of Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty” videos. It’s a good example of how the culture portrays and even expects women to look, which is completely unrealistic and unnatural.

Photo-shopping pictures, whether it be in a yearbook or on the cover of Flare magazine, does nothing to empower women. Sure, we’ve all had days where we wish we could photoshop a picture of us to make us look skinnier or to erase a blemish on our face, but most people learn best by example, so it’s time that all of us learn to love ourselves for who we are. We need to celebrate our perfect imperfections and learn to love ourselves for who we are.

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/photoshopping-and-the-war-on-women/feed/3The Church Isn’t Deadhttps://www.catholicvote.org/the-church-isnt-dead/
https://www.catholicvote.org/the-church-isnt-dead/#commentsWed, 07 May 2014 18:09:21 +0000http://www.catholicvote.org/?p=59935“Sleep with the angels.”

“Rise with the Saints.”

“Party with the Pope.”

This is a little nighttime saying that a past roommate and I would always recite, back and forth, as we fell asleep. The last one is obviously my favorite.

Party with the Pope!

A week after being at the canonizations of St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII, “party with the Pope” keeps resonating with me.

You want a party? Catholics will give you a party:

(CatholicMemes)

If you saw any of the coverage from the Vatican last week, you would have thought there was a massive party going on in St. Peter’s Square. Well, it was a Catholic party, which included a massive slumber party in the streets of Rome (approximately 500,000 camped out) and a Mass the next morning with over 1 million people in attendance.

“Ain’t no party like a Catholic party.”

We hear often that our faith has become “irrelevant” and that people are leaving the Catholic Church, and that young people are falling away from the Church and lack a faith life. Sure, there are people who have left the Church and there will still be some who choose to leave. And we all know young people who have “lost their faith” or left the Church in their college years. But, many of those who have “strayed”, end up returning. The Church continues to see a constant influx of “reverts” and converts.

In many ways, the Church is more of fire than ever, and continues to get stronger with each passing day. Consider the HHS Mandate and the activism surrounding it. So many Catholics have begun rising up, because they don’t want the government to tread on their faith and beliefs. Or think about the March for Life and how year-after-year hundreds of thousands of people (many of whom are Catholic) travel from all across America to march against the greatest human rights abuse of our time – abortion.

Over a million people travelled to Rome last weekend for the canonizations in St. Peter’s Square. People came from all over the world to celebrate the lives of two amazing Popes and to participate in the Mass where they were named Saints. I can’t think of another organization or group of people that can gather that amount of people internationally for one event, even more amazing – a faith event.

The Church is not dead. In many ways, it’s more alive than ever.

St. John Paul II changed the world and inspired many in the Catholic faith, as well as many outside of it. He truly is the Saint of my generation and challenged us to be witnesses of the faith. He challenged each of us to be a light to this, often, dark world.

One of his most famous quotes, which was a cornerstone in the celebrations last weekend is,

“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”

Although the media will claim that our Church is dwindling or people are losing faith, this is simply not true. The Catholic Church is more alive than ever. We may be attacked for our beliefs or mocked for our faith, but we are a part of a Church that has long sustained every effort to attack it and tear it down.

The Church is alive and more on fire than ever. Be a light to the world. Be a witness to the faith. And never be afraid to “party with the Pope.”

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/the-church-isnt-dead/feed/25Waking up in St. Peter’s Squarehttps://www.catholicvote.org/waking-up-in-st-peters-square/
https://www.catholicvote.org/waking-up-in-st-peters-square/#commentsMon, 05 May 2014 15:59:58 +0000http://www.catholicvote.org/?p=59891

Waking up in St. Peter’s Square feels like a dream. If you plan on going to the canonization, you’re not going to sleep the night before, so it’s not actually a dream. You head to St. Peter’s Square in the wee hours of the morning and pray for a miracle to find a way into the Square before a million people try to do the same thing. It’s like you’re on a secret mission from God and you’re livin’ on a prayer.

If you want to get into the Square or get anywhere close to the action, you’ve got to get in before dark and plan to stand in the same spot for the next 8-9 hours. Yes, that means no bathroom breaks, no food trucks, and no coffee – which I guess, makes it a pilgrimage… which is fitting.

This is what I experienced on Saturday night/Sunday morning with Catholic Vote’s own Kara Mone. We were blessed to have the opportunity to attend the canonization on Sunday, and even more blessed to have a front-row seat to the action. No joke:

Divine Mercy Sunday was a historic day for many reasons. It was the first-time in history that two Pope’s were canonized on the same day. It was also the first canonization Mass to be concelebrated by two Popes – Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. And it has been reported that there were anywhere between one to two million people gathered in Rome on Sunday. What a historic day for the Church.

People of all ages traveled from all over the world to attend the Mass where John XXIII and John Paul II would be named Saints of the Church. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims slept on the streets of Rome and many held all-night vigils, as they awaited the great announcement of two new Saints – both of whom had been a part of the lives of many in attendance.

The older generation knew both Popes, while John Paul II was a mainstay in the lives of the young people in attendance, mostly due to the fact that he was the only Pope we had known for many years. I, for one, had JPII as Pope for the first 20 years of my life, before Benedict XVI became Pope.

John Paul II was a hot topic over the past few weeks, especially because he was the most recent of the two Popes, but both Popes brought much to the Church, each in their own particular way. Pope John XXIII is known for convening the Second Vatican Council and profoundly impacting the practice of the faith. Pope John Paul II is known for being the “Pope of the people”. He connected with young people in a special way and was able to reach out to the secular world during some very difficult times in the world. Pope John XXIII brought the people deeper into the heart of the Church, whereas Pope John Paul II brought the Church deeper into the heart of the world.

The whole day was a joyous celebration in St. Peter’s Square, even though the majority of participants hadn’t slept the night before. The Vatican orchestra cued up the music just before 10am, and then the real celebration began.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was the first to enter, to which the crowd erupted with cheers and chants of “Benedicto!” He was beaming with smiles and we were thrilled to see Papa Benny once again. Then, Pope Francis processed in, to which the crowd erupted again with cheers and applause. One of my favorite moments of the whole morning was when Pope Benedict greeted Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI:

It brought tears to everyone’s eyes, and the crowd erupted in cheers – again. I don’t know what it was about this moment, but it was really powerful to witness.

The pinnacle of the whole event was obviously when the sainthood of John XXIII and John Paul II was announced. The crowd went insane, with cheers and screams of excitement. The Church recognized and welcomed two more amazing Saints.

The whole event was so moving and inspiring, much of it is difficult to describe in full. But, overall it was an experience of a lifetime.

The beautiful thing about being Catholic, though, is that we all experienced the same Mass on Sunday. We all heard the same readings and participated in this great event, no matter where we were.

I was in St. Peter’s Square and feel tremendously blessed to have had that opportunity, but you were there as well… even if you were a million miles away. We all participated in the same Mass and the same celebration, which welcomed two more Saints to the great Litany of Saints.

I encourage all of you to take some time to watch some of the full coverage here. I’ll warn you that it’s long (3.5 hours), but it’s well worth any time you can spend to watch it.

And if you want to see some of the coverage, which features Kara Mone and I, check this few minute segment from WDIV in Detroit:

]]>https://www.catholicvote.org/waking-up-in-st-peters-square/feed/1What Makes You Different Is What Makes You Beautifulhttps://www.catholicvote.org/what-makes-you-different-is-what-makes-you-beautiful/
https://www.catholicvote.org/what-makes-you-different-is-what-makes-you-beautiful/#commentsTue, 01 Apr 2014 14:30:43 +0000http://www.catholicvote.org/?p=59236

This picture is important. Many children diagnosed with Down Syndrome and other special needs are aborted – and we need to be talking about this disturbing fact.

Catholics need to be outspokenly, unapologetically pro-life because every single life is precious and deserves a chance at life.

I have written here before about babies with fetal abnormalities, and I assure you that this won’t be the last time. We need to talk about these cases and we need to raise awareness that there are life-giving options and support for families whose unborn children are diagnosed with any fetal anomaly.

In honor of World Down Syndrome Day (March 21st), a group called Coor+1 released a video called “Dear Future Mom”. This video begins with a letter from a pregnant woman, who writes:

“I’m expecting a baby… I’ve discovered he has Down Syndrome. I’m scared. What kind of life will my child have?”

The reply to this mother’s letter is probably the most beautiful response you will ever see:

Every single child is created by God and is precious in His sight. We need to do all we can to protect His children and to make them feel His love.

That’s what I love about the Happy Soul Project. The website is run by Tara McCallan, who writes on the homepage,

“Hiya friends. I am T… quirky, wannabe writer/blogger, annoyed/adoring wife, minivan mama to two hooligans, one who just happens to have Down Syndrome and most importantly a happy soul. Thanks for stopping by Happy Soul Project. Hopefully it inspires you to look at life a wee bit differently.”

These are the pictures that people need to see and these are the stories that people need to hear. You never hear parents say that they regret the lives of their children, but you often hear parents regretting the “choice” they made against giving their child life.

McCallan and her family are doing much to change the public’s perspective on Down Syndrome. She told the Huffington Post that she wants to spread awareness about Down Syndrome and “be a voice or open someone’s eyes to how to approach others [who have loved ones]that are beautifully different,” through her blog.

“I want people to know that my daughter is just that,” McCallan said. “My daughter.”

These are the stories that are rarely covered by the mainstream media, but these are the stories worth covering.

“What makes you different, is what makes you beautiful.” Say that three times fast, and learn to believe it. And tell every child you know, whether they have Down Syndrome or autism or not… what makes them different, is what makes them beautiful.

If you’re not happy already from all of the beautiful things you’ve seen and read in this post, the following video made in honor of World Down Syndrome day is bound to make you dance and make you happy:

Every life is precious.

If you or someone you know is facing a pregnancy with a severe or fatal prenatal diagnosis, there is help. Please contact:

Dunham spent her monologue talking about people’s sex lives and promoting her show ‘Girls’. Degrading sex and human beings is what I have come to expect from the creator of ‘Girls’. If you haven’t seen ‘Girls’, I wrote about it here a few months ago.

The skit on Saturday night that got the most attention by far was the one about the “male rights activist”. Yep, you heard me… male rights activist. You can watch it here:

The skit featured a man at a jewelry party with his girlfriend and 4 of her friends. As they get to talking, it comes out that the man works as a “male rights activist” and that he was responsible for shutting down two Planned Parenthood clinics.

Lena Dunham’s character went in to an immediate “rage spiral” over his admission. She exclaimed, “How dare you? Planned Parenthood provides women low-cost medical advice and care.”

Saturday Night Live has long been known for mocking people and politics, even insomuch as promoting their agenda from time to time. But promoting the largest abortion provider in America is a step too far.

Planned Parenthood is not helping women and they aren’t empowering women.

Not to mention, they have been caught on countless occasions putting women’s lives at risk, lying to women, and doing everything in between, just to make a buck. If you want to know more about Planned Parenthood’s abuses, check out Live Action’s investigations into the abortion-giant. Planned Parenthood doesn’t “care” about women, they care about money.

Women deserve better than Planned Parenthood and I wish that Lena Dunham and Saturday Night Live would recognize that.

In response to the above SNL skit, I was asked to appear on Byline with Brian Lilley on Canada’s Sun News Network.

Check out my appearance on Sun News Network to hear more on what I think about Saturday Night Live’s Planned Parenthood promotion and more.

I don’t know who exactly Cecile is referring to, but I’m guessing that it doesn’t go much farther than her staff at Planned Parenthood.

Men – Do you have a special girl in your life? Are you dating someone? What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? If it has anything to do with Planned Parenthood or the services they provide – man up. Your girl deserves better than that.

There is nothing loving about Planned Parenthood or the work they do.

Sending your girl into a PP clinic for an abortion doesn’t involve love. Saying that you love her, but saying “You’re pregnant? Get rid of it” doesn’t seem loving. Or pumping her body full of chemicals (i.e. the birth control pill) just so you can make sure there is no long-term commitment isn’t about love. Or dropping her off for an appointment to determine if she’s pregnant or not, or for her to sign up for birth control – doesn’t say “Hey, I really love you.”

Women deserve better than this. And you can do better than this for the special girl in your life.

If Planned Parenthood really cared about women they would protect them and want them to know real love. If they really cared about women and what women truly need, they would treat the cause instead of the effect. Planned Parenthood should be empowering women and teaching them to love their bodies instead of suppressing one of the most beautiful things about women. Women’s bodies were made to bring new life into the world, which is beautiful and something to be promoted, not undermined. PP is degrading women to mere body parts, instead of letting them know how powerful and beautiful they are.

What women really need for Valentine’s Day is love. Women deserve to feel loved and cherished on Valentine’s Day (and every day) and they deserve better than what Planned Parenthood is proposing.

So, this Valentine’s Day… Men, give your girl what she really wants and what she really needs –

This is the clear and concise belief the pro-life movement, and everyone who participates in the pro-life movement.

In the pro-life movement, we constantly hear stories of girls who “aren’t ready to have a baby”, and women who “don’t have the resources to raise a child”.

But, there is another silent population that we rarely hear about – even in the pro-life movement.

Every day in America and throughout the world, babies that are diagnosed with fetal abnormalities in the womb, and many of those children are put to death – by abortion. Some of these unborn children have Down syndrome, others have Anencephaly or Potter’s Syndrome. But, we rarely hear these stories.

My first encounter with a unborn child diagnosed with a fetal abnormality, was when a friend from college found out that her child would probably not survive long after birth and/or would be stillborn. I remember the heart-breaking pain I felt when I heard the news, and I can’t even imagine what she went through – especially since it was her first and she was excited to welcome this baby with such joy.

Because my friend was vehemently pro-life, she carried the baby to term. And astoundingly, after months of thinking her baby would be stillborn, her little boy was born – alive and utterly perfect in every way.

This story as a whole shook my world. First my friend didn’t think her baby would survive – then he did and was completely fine. Imagine if she had chose to abort her baby? And how many other women in that situation would have chosen abortion?

How many little lives are lost because someone won’t even give them the chance to live?

Although Ireland has been untouched by abortion for some time, until recently, Irish women were being encouraged to travel to England, especially if there was a fetal abnormality. Now, there is a battle heating up to bring abortion into Ireland, in circumstance of prenatal fetal abnormality diagnosis.

When will the attack on innocent children stop? When I read this news about Ireland, I thought back to my friend who could have chosen abortion, but thankfully chose life – for her beautifully, healthy baby boy.

In response to the push for abortion in Ireland, a group called Every Life Counts was established to tell the beautiful stories of women who chose life for their babies, even if their child wouldn’t live long.

(Spoiler alert: These videos and stories will make you cry.)

The stories are so beautiful and powerful. These women who knew that their child might not live long, but who chose to give their child a chance and love them with every ounce of their being for as little or as long as they had them.

Every Life Counts also offers counseling and support for women who find out that their unborn child has a fetal abnormality and are in need of help and guidance.

There is a group in America that is doing similar work and striving to protect mothers and their children, here at home. This group is called Isaiah’s Promise.

This group, based in Maryland, offers support for families that are carrying their child to term, after receiving a severe or fatal prenatal diagnosis. They counsel the families, offer support at the hospital, make baby blankets and little gowns for the children, and so much more.

Isaiah’s Promise and Every Life Counts are telling the stories of these little children, and their families – the families who loved them into existence and who treasured every moment of life they had with them. And they are offering support to the families who are in need of guidance, and working to protect every child inside and outside of the womb.

These are the stories that we don’t hear in the pro-life movement, or anywhere else in the world. These precious and innocent children need to be protected and they need to be given the opportunity to live.

Please support the efforts of these two amazing groups — and please be a voice for these children. Every life is precious and deserves to be protected.

Note: Isaiah’s Promise has an amazing video up on their homepage, that we could not upload onto this blog. It’s really powerful, so don’t miss it.